Trio

Caroline has been coveting Patrick's cape. Yesterday I turned to Steve and said, "She looks like someone..." and Steve promptly replied, "ET."

And when I said, "Really?"

He said, "In a wig. With the blanket. Trust me."

Fair enough.

Caroline finds many things inconvenient (her lack of a cape, for starters) but nothing irks her so much as the fact that she is not nearly as tall as she thinks she is. To compensate she has started carrying things around with her that she then climbs upon. She started with board books and we said, "Oh how cute." She moved onto blocks and we said, "Isn't it adorable." Then she began dragging laundry baskets out of the closet to flip upside-down and we said, "WHO GOT MY CHECKBOOK OFF THE DESK AND THREW IT IN THE TRASH? HOW DID CAROLINE GET THE CRAYONS OUT OF THE DRAWER? WHO THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO LEAVE THE CEREAL ON THE COUNTER?"

If I could attach an audio file you would hear Caroline saying, "Oh CRICKET!" as if she is just as surprised and exasperated as the rest of us to discover that she had climbed up to the breakfast bar and was merrily setting off the timer with a pencil

after decorating Patrick's math homework with that blue marker. 

She's sort of a Handful. A few (many) posts ago I wrote about putting all of our dining room chairs on the porch in an effort to keep her off the table and someone bracingly told me to get a grip. Although I like comments in which you tell me how great I am; I also like comments that readjust my sense of what might be construed as normal. It seemed obvious to me that the best way to keep Caroline off the table was by removing the chairs and I was interested to see that some of you thought we could, you know, just tell her not to do it. I admit that I was hesitant to try it your way in the beginning but lately I have concluded that if Caroline can understand how the DVD remote works she can understand that she is not allowed to climb on the damned table. So I have returned the chairs to the dining room and I spend a lot (all) of my time tucking a boneless and angry child under my arm as I cheerfully trill "We do not climb on the table!" like Mary Poppins trying to train a lemur.

Apparently understanding that something is forbidden and caring are two different things - but I think we are making progress. Slowly.  

Caroline likes clocks. She likes to point to clocks and she likes to touch clocks and whenever Steve leaves his laptop open and unattended for more than five seconds she likes to hit the function key that brings the computer clock onto the screen. During one of her forbidden forays into my desk drawer she found an old watch of Patrick's with a dead battery.

[This watch exemplifies one of my personality defects, namely: the battery is dead so the watch will not work; but a new battery costs more than a new watch; but I cannot bring myself to buy a new watch because we have a perfectly good one in the drawer at home; only the battery is dead - I need an intervention. Or rather I would except that I get these rare moments in which the useless clutter I keep gets magnificently re-purposed; in this case by Caroline.]

Caroline does not care that the watch is broken. She just knows that she loves it more than anything. She magically intuited that watches are worn on the wrist (or upper arm in her case) and she parades around like Cleopatra wrapped in a snake. "Watch," she says. "Tie-um. No tie-um! Tie-um to go!" 

Patrick saw her with the watch and said, "Hey that's mine!"

And I said, "But it's broken."

And he said, "But it's mine."

"But it's broken."

"Mine."

We sort of hit an impasse and I told him he had to be nice to his baby sister. He said, fine, but if that watch starts working again he wants it back. I agreed.

Note the joy of obsessive ownership (Edward has a Matchbox car in each hand; Caroline is clutching her/Patrick's/the watch):

+

A few readers set me straight on the difference between expressive language and articulation. A child (like Edward, say) can be in the normal range for his expressive language but not be widely (or wildly) intelligible. He has a word for "book" and "boat" and "bath" (that's language) but he pronounces them all as "buh" (that's intelligibility.) So the fact that Edward is in the normal range for language did not automatically disqualify him for speech therapy through our health insurance. In fact, they shocked my lights out by immediately approving him for a year's worth of twice weekly therapy and he started today.

I am still startled by how quickly it all happened. I doubted they were going to agree to coverage at all especially after my conversation with the county, which was friendly but dismissive. Apparently you have to be in the bottom two percent to qualify for county services and they only look at total language scores under the age of two. She offered to send someone out to test his articulation after his birthday but she doubted he would qualify even then based on my description of his crummy but not-quite-crummy-enough words. I guess the insurance company uses a much lower standard and I am grateful to them.

Edward's first session this morning was pleasant and he enjoyed the toys once he unwrapped himself from my neck but he refused to talk. At all. Soooo... this might take a while. Fortunately Steve works from home so he can keep Caroline most of the time and I am looking forward to the time when I can leave him with his therapist and go read Highlights in the lobby.

+

Oh that reminds me - thank you very much for all of your thoughts on Patrick's school situation. I really appreciated it. As always you guys had differing opinions but you were all helpful in your own way and I value your comments. For what it is worth Caroline and Edward do not have to drive to school with us, which is very nice. If we did move Patrick and were unable to find someone to carpool with us Steve and I would take turns driving while the other one stays with the twinkles. It's what we do now and it seems to work ok although I admit that I am much more sanguine about this than Steve.

I liked the school very much. Patrick was excited about the work they are doing but has expressed concern about making friends and learning a new routine. Steve didn't come with us last week so the second grade teacher agreed to let him come by tomorrow to see what he thinks of the class. In the meantime the director received Patrick's testing and school reports and has informally offered him a space pending committee approval. Provided Steve is as enthusiastic as I am, we are inclined to switch him with the start of their next trimester. Last week Patrick and I had one of those confessional bedtime conversations and he said that he felt like he was fading away in school - I'm not sure what the solution is but we have to do something with him. He's just not himself lately.   

Comments

[Aunt Becky]

I find that rather than saying "no" to my children, I train them like I do my dogs. With spray bottles.

Problem is, they love it.

[Nicky at Not My Mother]

Ooh, I've finally joined the century and got one of those blog reader thingies and it just popped up when you made a post! So exciting. Now I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon watching it to see what else it can do.

Caroline and Edward make me laugh. Please don't be offended when I say they remind me of my budgie (parakeet), because he's the only baby I have right now and I adore him. He reminds me of Caroline because he says "Cabbie come on," in a really impatient tone when he knows he's being naughty, and Edward because he talks all day non stop unless someone comes round and I want to show him off, in which case he sits on my finger as enigmatic as the sphinx.

If Patrick's excited about the school then that can only been seen as positive. Fingers crossed Steve will like it too, and Patrick will stop feeling like he's fading away... what a sad thing for him to say. Could he still be under the weather from all the illness?

[Lisa Lindstedt]

I have so many watches just like that one and for the exact same reasons!!! I'm so glad I'm not alone!

[shannon b.]

Between second and third grade the elementary school I was going to decided to end their gifted and talented program. For the remainder of elementary school I spent about as much time in the principle's office as I did class. I had the scoring to go to a magnet school, but my parents, understandably, were unwilling to drive to two schools which were across town. I ended up getting a masters degree and have a good job, but I think it is likely that I would have had an easier time in school if I had had more challenging curriculum. My narrow experience makes me think that sending Patrick to the magnet school is the right choice. But see above where I don't think less of my parents for making a different decision, likely either way he'll be okay.

[Sheridan]

I was supposed to be cooking dinner. And then your post popped up on my reader.

And so now the pot is boiling dry, because nothing is more important than reading your latest post.

And you know what? I am never disappointed!

[terri c]

Caroline DOES look like ET in that one photo. Too cute. In the first photo of her at the breakfast bar her hair looks much lighter--is that just a trick of the light or does she have lighter hair now? They are all wonderful.

[tgsdmom]

Lovely post. Lovely kids. All of them.

Patrick's comment about fading in school is too sad. If not the magnet school, you must find something else. Don't let him fade or feel as if he is fading.

[Carla Hinkle]

Oh dear. "Fading away"? That is just awful. Yes, please do something.

[bean]

So glad you like the new school. However, if it's still not right for Patrick, would you consider home ed?

http://www.electricboogaloo.net/wordpress/archives/2009/10/15/the-ard-school-of-arts-and-sciences-weeks-7/

[GingerB]

No, never let him fade away in school. He'll end up a pot smoking teenager, like I did. I did improve and even got through college on time, but it was close a few times. No fading.

[MelissaC]

As always, I love every word that you write - you are so talented! And I have to admit, "like Mary Poppins trying to train a lemur" almost had me snorting Cheerios out of my nose. Note to self: do not read Julia while eating breakfast.

Happiest of Thanksgivings to you and your lovely family!

[crystal]

Last comment is the best argument anyone can make for moving Patrick. It is the point of the annual GTG for the Davidson scholars, right? Everyone wants to be understood. We mere mortals don't understand that level of intelligence. He needs to be among his peers, and I suspect he's smart enough to know it, hence the comment.

Correction is step one. Following with redirection vastly improves response time.... But my gut is niggling me, and I think I'd try something else with Cricket.

I think I'd collect little activities (shape sorters, bags with different objects she can touch but not see, arty supplies, whatever things the two of you can do together) in a bin. And very casually, when she is getting into things, I think I'd get out the bin, and start playing. And having fun. And oohing and aaahing about it.

I'd have a second little bin of the same type, and fill it with a rotating stock of her favorite things. And THEN I'd move in with the redirection. Create a positive association with the bin, it's fun, Mommy can't keep her nose out of it, and fun stuff is always inside. Then when you have to rescue her from some inappropriate place or another, get her attention, and ask her if she wants to go see what's in her bin. If you can rotate stuff in and out daily, or even a few times a week, so much the better. You might be able to enlist Patrick's help, on the premise that it may keep her out of some of his stuff.

She may need more/more regular attention than the boys. Drew did, and I wish I'd picked up on it sooner. And I strongly suspect she's going to give Patrick a run for his money in the brilliant arena. They're all smart as whips but.... I suspect she's a dual core hot rod under the hood...

Wow. Terrible mixed metaphor.

You have incredible kids. And you're smart enough to know it and love every minute. Wish we could bottle that.

[Shanon]

According to my daughter:

What's a cow say? "Mooo!"
What's a cat say? "Meeooow!"
What's mama say? "No-no-no!"

[Maria]

#1. I'm thinking Yoda, not ET.

#2. My 10yo (5th grade) son just entered the magnet G&T program in our district this year. Most of the kids have been together since third grade, so we were a little concerend about how he would blend in. It has been GREAT for him. It look about 6 weeks for him to adjust to the faster pace, but he is really really liking it.

[Carrie]

I hadn't really thought one way or the other about you removing the dining room chairs, but now that you've revisited it I think you are doing the right thing to just teach her not to do it. She reminds me a lot of my son. I call him "high energy." Anyway, he is four now and knows you don't climb on tables. There is a little girl in our moms club (she's 5) who is a total climber. My son gives her a total WTF??? look when she's climbing all over the tables. I think it must be very similiar to the look I am giving her mother as she scampers along, tramping everything in her path.

It's a pain in the ass, but well worth the fight when they finally learn not to do something. They may still try to do it at home sometimes, but are a lot less embarassing to try to take out in public.

[tree town gal]

Oh... oh my... Patrick's comment made me slap my hand over my mouth. I do hope Steve is happy with the new school because clearly it's needed. There is nothing as wasteful as a fading genius, at the age of seven...

The twinks kill me... thank you for such amusement. My son (15 months) is irritated, too, that he isn't taller... He just moves around the step stool to suit his needs. It's impressive in that nightmare sorta way.

[Beth Lovell]

Having is bright child is harder than people realize. We had to move our 4 year old daughter from a lovely, warm preschool simply because they couldn't keep up with her. She is helping to run the class - tie shoes, line up the children to go outside, tell one child if they hurt someone's feelings... She really began to think she was an adult. We moved her to a Montessori school (all the teachers have masters degrees), and the change in routine was hard on both of us. Now Lorelai is fixated on continents (Asia this week) and is so busy with her "work" that she doesn't have time to worry about taking care of (or bossing around)the rest of the class. Bright kids really need very intense stimulation.

[Trista]

Your comment about carrying around your "boneless and angry" child made me smile - that is a trick my daughter does when she's done something she's not allowed to and would like to continue doing it. We tell her no, but she says "no" back at me or ignores me (or laughs at me, which is worse). When I physically remove her from whatever she is doing she goes jelly-like and gets very crabby until she gets distracted again.
You gave me some insight into what my kid might be doing not long from now - when she wants to see if she's tall enough to climb on something, she stands in front of it and throws a leg up. If she can get the leg on top of said object (for example, the couch), then she tries to haul herself up, rock-climbing style. If she can't get up, and we won't lend a hand - like when she's trying to climb into the dry bathtub, for example - she gets really frustrated. I fear for when she discovers that she can pile stuff and stand on it to gain her objective.
When I was in grade school I was in enrichment classes from grades 5-8. My entry into these classes was based on school board testing, and I had to change schools and travel further from home to get full-time enriched classes (for high school I had to go back to regular school because it would have cost a ridiculous amount of money for me to keep crossing school board boundaries for enriched classes - so much politics!). It was a bit tough to make the switch since I knew no one at my new school, but it was so worth it. The classes were interesting, the teachers were mostly great, and the environment was supportive and creative. The classes weren't very big, so I made new friends easily. It was a gamble for my parents to make such a drastic change in my schooling, but they saw that I was bored silly where I was, and that it would only get worse as I got older. If a seven-year old is bright enough to tell you he's "fading away" then any change is probably going to be a positive for him. I hope it all works out!

[TeacherMommy]

It's sounding more and more like he needs the new school. Change may be difficult, but ultimately it's more important that he not fade away. And Patrick fading away would (very seriously) be a Great Tragedy.

By the by, I ordered two capes for my small boylets for Christmas and am THRILLED with them. Thank you so much for the recommendation!

[Pam L]

The concern Patrick has about making friends is normal and , since he is excited about what they are doing, I'm guessing he'll be fine.He seems to have a strong enough personality to make friends. The fact that he expresses his feelings about his current situation as he feels like he is fading away, is very helpful. When my son was diagnosed with ADHD/inattentive in 4th/5th grade (it takes a while) it helped that he could describe what he was experiencing . He said he would zone out sometimes and not know how it happened, but he would end up missing a lot of the instructions and lessons.
Anyway, I'm glad the travel won't have to include the twinks. I was wondering about that since Steve works at home.
I think Patrick will be happier when he's more enthused.

Oh Cricket! Too funny.

[Rebecca]

Yep, definite ringer for ET. She's awful cute, though.

[Tine]

I do the same thing with watches. There must be a group therapy for us around here somewhere.

Patrick's comment about fading away at school is heartbreaking. Obviously, you are doing the right thing to investigate new schools.

Happy Thanksgiving, in case you're not back online before then! :)

[sheilah]

I am the same way with watches. I have about 6 watches in my jewelry box all needing batteries. A couple of them I paid enough for them to replace the battery once (and have) but any more and I will have spent more on batteries than on the watch. What a dilemma.

Your children are so adorable...I love it when you post pictures of them.

[elsimom]

My watch count is 3 - same problem. Fading away is quite a startling image, but one that suggests that change is definitely needed.
I am confident that Patrick will find new friends. Can the school help by designating an ambassador? My daughter is very social (she's also 7) and teachers routinely seat new children next to her, because she is so welcoming and loves to show people the ropes (sitting next to them at lunch, etc). Often, after a while, I'll hear that the new child has "found their own friends" and is busy at recess with their newfound friends, although they seem to remain friends with her too. Surely the teachers at the new school will have a sense of who might best be paired with Patrick as he's getting to know this new place?
I love when toddlers speak to themselves. My daughter regularly cheers for herself. Right now she is in a full leg cast/brace (broken femur - total nightmare for her - but her true sunny personality is overcoming even this!) - so when she manages to get to something she was going after, we hear her say Yay!! It always cracks me up.

[HereWeGoAJen]

I am trying "no" with the garbage can now. (She threw away the BluRay player remote yesterday.) I've found it works better with a "do something else" command instead of a "stop doing that." So I am telling her to come here instead of telling her to STOP THROWING THINGS AWAY ALREADY. (And how many things do you think she's thrown away when I wasn't looking?)

[Shawna]

I know this is off-topic, but can I say that I love the woodwork in your house? I love the wood trim around your doors and your baseboards, and the inlaid patterns on your floor, and your cabinetry. Lovely.

[Diane]

Oh Patrick. His comment is truly heartbreaking.

Assure him that he will make friends (because he will). It sounds like the change can't come soon enough.

Good luck!

[shriek house]

We changed schools (although at the start of 2nd grade, not mid term) and it has made ALL the difference, academically, socially, developmentally... if your instincts say NEW SCHOOL I'd say go with them. The "fading away" comment speaks volumes.

Twinks are cute, as ever. Do you mind if I take to saying "oh Cricket!" in moments of pique?

[Jen]

Sounds like moving him will be a good thing...even if he may not agree at first. I'm super impressed w/ your ability to do what's best for your child even when it's "easier" to leave it as it is. I know that was an odd statement but I think too many people just leave things as is. Patrick seems like an AMAZING child who is uber smart. He needs to be challenged & not feel as if he's fading away...I got a little teary eyed when I read that in your post!

[lisa]

I don't have the exact quote in front of me at the moment but FDR I think it was said somethign along the lines of "the best choice is to make the right decision, the next best is to make teh wrong decision, the worst option is to make no decision at all. it sounds better if I could find the real quote but in the meantime it'll do. So go make a decision and take pride in the fact that even if you later doubt yourself (which we all do,especially as parents) at least you were not debilitated by the decision.

[Karen]

Aside from the horrifying "fading away" comment and the offer of a place in a 2nd grade classroom, how is Patrick doing in the social maturity area? Is he ready to take responsibility for his stuff at the level required in this class? How is he doing with that supplementary material from ... Phoenix? Salt Lake???

[Kathleen]

You know all the words, the endless words, I've been using to try and convey my experience with switching my son's schools over the years? I could have saved up both a lot of time by saying, "When he was just not himself over a period of time, we knew it was time for a change of somekind."

The "Oh, Cricket" photo? The ponytails? The perfect "o" mouth? The laundry basket? Killing. Me. I may be the first person in history to die of a cute overdose. What a way to go!

[Kim]

I love your posts. That's all.

Oh, and definitely switch schools for Packy. I really, really think he needs that - the whole fading away is heartbreaking...

The twins are adorable, as always - love the photo of them sharing the chair!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving...

[bethany actually]

When I was a baby, I loved clocks. I would point them out and name them loudly. Unfortunately, it's one of the few words I mispronounced for a long time...I left out the 'L' sound. Say it out loud, and imagine my very shy, sweet mother's embarrassment at toting around a baby loudly saying that word every time I saw something resembling a clock.

I have often said that parenthood means repeating the same damn things over and over and over and over times a million: reminding your kids to use their manners, pick up their coats and hang them up, put the milk back in the fridge, whatever. When Annalie was old enough to dress herself around the age of 2, she would take off her wet pull-up and leave it in the middle of her room. Every. Single. Day. And every single day, I'd cheerfully call her into the room when I found it, remind her that wet pull-ups go into the trash, and watch her pick it up and take it to the kitchen trash. We repeated that routine every day for over two years, with me suggesting gently every day that if she would just take her pull-up to the trash in the first place, she wouldn't have to go back and do it later. Then one magical day, after 700+ days, Annalie actually PUT HER OWN PULL-UP IN THE TRASH WITHOUT BEING ASKED. You better believe I made a huge deal out of that, thanking her effusively. After that, for the couple of months remaining that she wore nighttime pull-ups, she remembered to throw it away by herself every day. So it took more than 700 reminders.

I remind myself of that when I'm exasperated with Annalie for leaving her empty juiceboxes lying around again or her dresser drawers hanging open for the thousandth time. Then I take a deep breath and call her into the room... :-)

What I'm saying is, I feel your pain! Good luck with the we-don't-climb-on-the-table training!

[Jan]

So glad it sounds as if you will be switching schools, pending Steve's reaction. If you are waiting for the start of the next trimester, perhaps there is time for another visit with Patrick before that starts so he can get more sense of his new classmates? I'm sure you are saying all the right things -- it will be easy to make new friends, and most if not all of them will be really interested in the same things he is. He will have so much fun talking with them!

[jan]

p.s., should y'all ever be driving in the Maryland-PA area, the national museum of clocks is.... amazing. At least you could get some good ideas for Caroline.
http://www.nawcc.org/index.php/museumlibrary

when I was a child, my little brother had a big plastic clock made of gears that you could take apart and reassemble, and it had a face with hands that moved. (I think it was geared for about age 4-ish, but it wasn't dangerous. Caroline could manage.) I'm sure I've seen it somewhere -- many here will remember, too, I'm sure. Will post link if I find.

[Erica]

Do you have a Timex store? Batteries are like $5 and they have a table in the front of the store with extremely cheap watches--like $10 or less. Both Cricket and Patrick will be happy!

[Maria]

Crystal's comment about the bin sounds so practical. For my daughter, it would have worked nicely. My son, though, is like Caroline. He knows things he's doing are wrong but could care less. He uses random toys (the Little People school bus is a big one) and appliances (an open dishwasher door) to hoist himself up to where he wants to go or what he wants to reach. By the time the exciting bin had come out, he would have poked himself in the eye or, yet again, slammed his finger into some open door. If you figure out something that works, I'd be interested in hearing it.
And like others, Patrick's comment just makes me sad for him. At least you know that looking into a new school is a needed move, even if THIS new school isn't the final answer. Good luck!

[ktisinai@verizon.net]

Our daughter's second grade teacher recommended "Through the Cracks" by Carolyn Sollman...a very short, simple book that appears to be written for children but which actually is for the adults. I think it describes Patick's ennui (sp?) perfectly. In the book, as the children become more and more bored with school, they literally begin to shrink, and fall through the cracks in the floor boards, into the crawl space. Two of the children in the crawl space decide to search for a better place, and eventually find a school where learning is interdisciplinary and stimulating. Hopefully, this new school would provide a similar experience for Patrick.

[Betsy]

1. "Fading away"? Oh my goodness, switch schools for Patrick right now. That breaks my heart. I hope Steve will like the school and agree to the switch.

2. I could not possibly love Caroline stories any more than I do. She's the kid I would want to hang out with.

3. I hope there's never a time you don't post photos with your updates. Your kids are beautiful.

4. Sometimes moving the chairs (or equivalent) is what it takes to stay sane, so don't knock yourself over that. Still, teaching her no is probably the right call. Having said that? My goodness I hate to teach my kids no. It's really inconvenient and interrupts my day to a distressing level. ;-) I wanted the kids who didn't have to be taught. Who got them? Why not meeeeeeeeee? :-)

[Alice]

My other thought on Patrick is that moving him to a new school is actually teaching a really important life lesson. Meaning, if you are unhappy in a situation, you can do something to change it. If it doesn't work, nothing will stop you from switching him back, it's just you'll never really know if you don't do it, a bit like Edward and the speech therapy...

[Heidi]

"Fading away" in school really tugged at my heartstrings; that's pretty expressive. I'm glad you're considering making a change; not to say, quick, you HAVE to make a change, but that you're exploring options. The process of changing part-way through might be difficult, but the end result might be fantastic.

[haitian american family of three]

Oh boy I hope he get into the new school and thrives there! I remember you saying the twins were in a preschool-how is that going? I am trying to decide if we want to join the twice weekly coop preschool...it seems like a lot of work (bus, rushing out the door, etc.) for coloring time, but maybe I am wrong!

[Meegan]

Fading away? That's tragic. He's such an old soul, that one. (I typed "sole" first and it took my exhausted mama-brain more time than I'd like to admit to figure out why it looked...funny.)

I was a smarty in school, although certainly not of Patrick's caliber. Most of the schools I attended had some kind of gifted program which kept me interested in learning. The schools that did not left me feeling...beyond bored. My point(s) is/are muddled in here somewhere. My parents moved a LOT. I adjusted. I made new friends every couple years. Making new friends could be challenging but in 2nd and 3rd grade, it's pretty easy to find commonalities. Patrick might fear the unknown, but he'll have new best buds in a WEEK. Tough decisions ahead for you and Steve. You won't let Patrick fade away.

[Janice]

I love reading about Caroline's antics. Also - must comment that I popped over to 6512 and growing - one of your Featured Readers - and its a great read!

[Deborah VA]

OMG, I too lived through this time with twins (b/g). The climbing, the hiding, (and the throwing!) As yours, the girl is the stronger willed one. They JUST turned 4 and honestly, things are not much better and in control at 4. They must feed energy off each other. At this exact moment in time, they are in time outs in their room for throwing mac&cheese on the floor. That was the end of dinner. I discipline, I have read the books and my response is HELP! May you guide yours with more grace than I.

[Susan]

Just a thought-ette ...

for my son's speech therapy, I left the room, because I knew he would say absolutely nothing if I stayed. His first line of defense is ALWAYS "hide behind mom". When I remove that defense, he defaults to "break no rules and no harm will come to you" so he puts forth a (sometimes MASSIVE) effort to Comply with whatever is being asked of him.

[coffeegrl]

Good grief have we got a 22 month old climber (who's been climbing for a year) and "get into everything she shouldn't". Our house always looks like Caroline lives in it. Thank heavens we are not alone. And I am exhausted from repeating "Chairs are for sitting" but I suppose after several months of repeating it, I have to confess that it does seem to be working a little.

[KatieV]

Patrick's fading away comment is SO SAD and I'm glad for him you are so proactive about the new school.

[QueenBee]

Julia Julia- you make me smile. Caroline's cape, (and Edward's blue tutu..er..cape) are coming soon! I'm on my way back from a 12 hr fabric shopping trip, and will sew them as soon as I complete some more orders (THANK YOU READERS!)

QueenBee